Translation studies
Equivalence at word level
When analysing STs, translators recognize words as single units aiming to find a direct ‘equivalent’ in the TL.
Translators should consider a number of factors such as number, gender and tense.
1. Cultural Approximation
• Cultural approximation is a translation strategy
whereby a culture-specific expression in the
SL is translated into a cultural substitute in the
TL, i.e., an approximately culturally
corresponding TL expression.
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2. Examples
• God – هللا
• American Secretary of State
•
األمريكي الخارجية وزير
• As busy as a bee
•
العروس أم مثل
• Like mother like daughter
•
ألمها البنت تطلع ثمها على الجرة اقلب
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3. Translate into Arabic
• The British Home Office
• The American Congress
• Watchdog press
• lap-dog press
• sleep like a log
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4. • The British Home Office
• البريطانية الداخلية وزارة
• The American Congress
• األمريكي النواب مجلس
• Watchdog press
• المعارضة الصحاة
• lap-dog press
• الرسمية ألصحافة
• sleep like a log
• كالقتيل ينام
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5. Equivalence
• Is central to the translation process.
• There are many types of equivalence
• Nida (1964) proposed formal equivalence and
dynamic equivalence.
• Formal correspondence “focuses attention on
the message itself, in both form and content,”
• Dynamic equivalence is based upon “the
principle of equivalent effect”
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6. Equivalence typology
• Equivalence at word level
• When analysing STs, translators recognize
words as single units aiming to find a
direct ‘equivalent’ in the TL.
• Translators should consider a number of
factors such as number, gender and tense.
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8. • How is the Arabic sentence different from the
source English sentence.
• Ahmed bought a new car.
• جديدة سيارة أحمد اشترى
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9. Equivalence at collocation level
• collocations represent the tendency of
certain words to co-occur regularly in a
certain language.
• Cheque often occurs with bank, pay, money
and write than with moon and butter
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10. • What is the problem in the following
translation.
• Commit suicide يرتكب
انتحارا
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